A New Person

The apostle Paul hated Jesus and persecuted His followers.

But a personal encounter and spiritual union with Christ changed him.

He became a new person. 

The old order of sin, death, and selfishness was gone.

A new beginning, a new covenant, a new perspective and way of living had come.

Following Jesus is not turning over a new leaf.

It is beginning a new life under a new Master.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; 

Old things have passed away; 

Behold, all things have become new. 

—2 Corinthians 5:17

Pray For Our Loved Ones

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, (Matthew 5:44)

• Many of our brothers and sisters around the world suffer persecution.
   
• They live in danger every day simply because they love Jesus and want others to know Him too.
   
• But there is another form of persecution.
   
• It may not be life-threatening, but it is heartbreaking.
   
• It is the persecution from our non-Christian family members.
   
• When our loved ones ridicule our faith and mock us for what we believe and how we express our love for God, we feel rejected and unloved.
   
• “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12).
   
• And rejection will come from those we love too (Matt. 10:34-36).
   
• When the people we love reject the God we love, the rejection feels personal.
   
• Jesus told us to pray for those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44).
   
• That includes more than strangers who hate us.
   
• God is able to give us grace to persevere through persecution, even from our love ones.
   
• They may mock our message.
   
• But they can’t stop our prayers for them.
   
• And we will pray earnestly for them.
  

Fleeing Persecution

Matthew 10:23a
When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.

One of the biblical responses to persecution is to flee.
It is not the only response.
It is therefore imperative that the persecuted believer is sure that his running away is in the will of God.

History is full of examples of Christians who relocated because of religious persecution.

The early Christians in Jerusalem didn’t obey Jesus’ orders to evangelize to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
So God allowed persecution to send them on their way (Acts 8:1).
Persecution accomplished the will of God.
As they scattered abroad, they went preaching the gospel (Acts 8:4).

The Apostle Paul left Damascus over the wall in a basket when a life threat was discovered early in his ministry.
He knew it was not yet God’s timing for his life and ministry to end.
That occurred years later in Rome.

Let us resolve to only run from persecution
when we know it is the will of God.

Let us pray for leaders who have to live in hiding
because of their effective ministry for the Lord and His church.

Blessed Are The Persecuted

Matthew 5:10-12

Blessed are those
who are persecuted
because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you
when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
because great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way
they persecuted the prophets
who were before you.

The promise of persecution comes for those who take a stand for God.

Persecution is the result of righteous living.

The early church went through much persecution for their faith in Christ.

• To suffer persecution is to walk along the same road as the prophets, the saints, and the martyrs.
• To suffer persecution is to make things easier for those who are to follow.
• To suffer persecution is to experience the fellowship of Christ.

Most of us enjoy the blessing of liberty today because men and women in the past were willing to buy it for us at the cost of their own blood, sweat and tears.

Let us accept persecution,
whether mild or hot,
which comes as a result of righteous living.

Oh Lord,
encourage those who are now
experiencing severe persecution
for Your name.

Be Strong In The Lord

Psalm 31:24

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

It would be nice if we are God’s vessels to bring His Word to those in need.

It is not an easy job; persecution abounds.

But 95% of the believers who faced the test of external persecution passed it.

It is not persecution itself but the lessons learned under persecution that make and keep the church and an individual believer strong in the Lord.

What makes the difference is how we respond to persecution and how we respond to freedom.

Let us prepare ourselves for the hard assignments
in responding biblically to challenges.